A Ferry Journey Through Arctic Light
Arrival in the Arctic
A Ferry Journey, Snow-Covered Mountains, and the First Sunset
A ferry journey through golden light, snow-capped mountains, and the beginning of a winter photography workshop in Lofoten. This is where the adventure truly began.
I was in a very small hotel room, some nice lo-fi beats playing on YouTube, rearranging my bags for the upcoming adventure. I was back in the Lofoten Islands with the renowned Brendan van Son, assisting in his workshop — just like I did the year before.
The conditions were totally different to last year. Last time, it was bluebird skies and a particularly warm winter — there was no snow. This time? It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
And I couldn't have been happier.
The Ferry Journey
We were leaving that afternoon, catching a ferry up the coast into the Lofoten Islands — about a three-hour journey. Fingers crossed it would go ahead. If the ferry got cancelled, it would be a ten-hour drive.
The snow was scheduled to hit around 1pm. But for now, the light was absolutely gorgeous.
As the passenger ferry slowly meandered its way out of the fjords and into the open ocean, we were greeted with some of the most spectacular light I had seen. It was kissing the sides of the mountains and illuminating the small fishing towns. What a backdrop to live in.
The light kissing the mountains — one of the most scenic boat trips I've ever taken.
Simple frames, huge mountains — the 100-400mm compressing the scene beautifully.
This was one of the most scenic boat trips I have ever taken. As the sun set, it created such wonderful contrast. I used the 100-400mm to really punch in and add an element of compression — it helped to over-emphasise the size of these mountains in comparison with the buildings below.
A plane swooping into land as the sky is on fire behind — absolutely marvelous.
And then a final shot — a plane swooping into land as the sky is on fire behind. Absolutely marvelous.
The views from that boat were incredible. The light was really, really gorgeous. My hands, though — they were so numb. I left my gloves in the car like a complete fool. Pro tip: don't do that.
The golden light illuminating the surrounding area was simply awe-inspiring. The bitter cold chilling the fingers, struggling to use the buttons, capturing simple frames as the landscape meandered past. A boat beautifully lit in golden light, contrasting against the cold, cool background of the mountains. A small lighthouse on a lone island, standing out against the mighty backdrop. A sliver of golden light being cast on the mountains in the back.
An absolutely marvelous experience. One I shall not soon forget.
A small lighthouse on a lone island — standing out against the mighty backdrop.
A sliver of golden light being cast on the boat.
The Snow Has Arrived
Look at this absolute wonder we find ourselves in. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Getting to see the snow here — this is insane. Last year, it was bluebird skies. A particularly warm winter. There was a little bit of snow, but nothing like this. This is absolutely incredible.
The plan for the day was simple: have breakfast, have a meeting, then hit the road. We had a few destinations lined up, and the weather would be our guide. Today was supposed to be the most overcast day of the trip, progressively getting clearer and patchier.
Fingers crossed we'd get some really nice light. But really, one way or another, in a place like this, the pictures almost kind of take themselves.
First Composition
We had been driving around all morning — location scouting. We officially reached our first photo location, and what a photo location it was.
The area is incredibly picturesque. It really lends itself well to photography. We had about an hour or so to just explore, take our time, and see what we could find.
The contrast of red huts against the white snowy backdrop — pure magic.
I settled on my first composition. The light was just about to go behind the mountain in the distance — losing the light very, very quickly. I took out my ten-stop ND filter and soft grad, aiming to capture some movement in the cloud. A two-minute exposure to drag some of the cloud, adding a bit of drama and interest into the sky.
The result? The Vibrance of the entire scene. The contrast of the red huts against the white snowy backdrop, the mighty mountain in the back — all coming together so wonderfully. The long exposure made the water super smooth and added extra drama in the sky.
The first composition — drama in the sky, contrast in the snow.
I shot a second composition using the same format. The whole scene lends itself so well to photographic compositions — I think it would be quite difficult to point your camera in any direction and not be happy with the images you capture.
I'd be super curious to know which of these two is your favourite, so please feel free to let me know in the comments.
I never did post the image I got from last year when I was here. It'll be nice to show a comparison — very bluebird skies last year, so I didn't get that kind of drama in the sky. By dragging the shutter with a long exposure — about two minutes, two and a half minutes — you really get that nice bit of movement in the cloud.
The Sunset Location
We moved on to our sunset location. And oh my god — what was happening with the light was pure gold.
It was snowing so heavy a few moments ago, and then the light just broke for us. We had to move quick — it was probably going to fade fast.
As the heavy snow deluge passed, unveiling this mighty mountain in the back, I could not help myself but clamber over the rocks and get super low to the coastal edge. I used the crashing water as a foreground leading line into this epic scene.
And then, as if a light bulb being turned on — boom — the sun caught the mountain absolutely perfectly.
This was a bit of a clamber and a rush to find a composition that I was happy with. But the result was worth it. The water as a leading line, drawing your eye through the frame into this golden-lit mountain in the back.
The warm light on the mountain and the cool light on the water — a natural contrast that photographers dream of.
The warm light on the mountain and the cool light on the water — it's such a wonderful natural contrast. Golden highlights and blue-tone shadows. Simply beautiful.
Wow. What an absolute pleasure it was to photograph that scene. Absolutely gorgeous. The sun really kicked off.
We lingered a little longer, just because it was so gorgeous, hoping to catch some reflections in the receding tide.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this video, this whole trip for me was work. I didn't have a huge amount of time to dedicate to making videos, hence why some of the photographs have no b-roll to them. One of the downsides is that I never actually recorded an outro to this video.
So here it is. As I leave you with this final panorama of this epic, epic scene — I hope you enjoyed the video. I very much hope you enjoyed the photographs.
Stay tuned for some absolutely gorgeous light next week.
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But for now, take it easy, everyone. Cheers.
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